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Demon hunters
Soul Reaver 2 (2001) |timeline = • Third timeline |foundation = • [[Era following Blood Omen|Era following Blood Omen]] |dissolution = • Post-Blood Omen era |status = • presumably Inactive (as of the post-Blood Omen era) |predecessors = • Vampire hunters |successors = • The Sarafan order (fourth timeline) • The Vampire hunters (third timeline) |leaders = • Unknown |forces = • Demon hunter axemen • Demon hunter swordsmen • Demon hunter cannoneers • Demon hunter attack dogs |headquarters = • Unknown |weapons = Axes, swords, cannons |territories = • Sarafan Stronghold •Pillars •swamp •Mountains •Uschtenheim |enemies = • Demons • Mutants |appearances = }} The Demon Hunters were a Demon-hunting faction featured in Soul Reaver 2, encountered by Raziel in the [[Era following Blood Omen|era following ''Blood Omen]].The Demon Hunters were descendants of Moebius's Mercenary Army; with all vampires (except Kain) exterminated, Moebius's army shifted their focus to the Demons and Mutants that began to infest Nosgoth after the Collapse of the Pillars. History and Role In the aftermath of the collapse of the Pillars, the boundaries between dimensions were weakened and Demons began to penetrate into the Spectral and Material Realms. '''Demons:' "The Demons plaguing Nosgoth are able to rip through from the Demon Realm into the physical world at will. As the spiritual health of the land declines, the barriers between the Realms are weakened, and become more easily permeable.//Raziel has to contend with several forms of Demon, each armed with its own distinctive attacks, and will often find himself ambushed and trapped by impassable Demon barriers which force him into combat. Demons are also able to shift between Material and Spectral at will, and can thus pursue Raziel from one plane to the next." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 manual. pg35 (Eidos Interactive). (2001) Download. Bestiary: Demons: "As the spiritual health of Nosgoth declines, Demons penetrate the Material and Spectral Planes. They can phase in at any time, often creating barriers to prevent Raziel from fleeing. Furthermore, they are relentless in their attacks, even following Raziel into the Spectral Plane. Demons attack in numbers and are the most dangerous foe Raziel faces-though a powered-up Reaver is still more than a match for any Demon." Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 19.ISBN 0-7615-3237-4 With the vampires virtually wiped out, the now-leaderless soldiers of Vampire hunters saw the demons as a greater threat to human populations and actively began hunting them. Demon Hunters: "With the vampire threat exterminated, Moebius's mercenary army evolved and turned their attention to the Demons now menacing Nosgoth. These Hunters are more skilled and aggressive than their ancestors.//As with Vampire Hunters, the swordsmen tend to be slower, but more powerful;the pikemen are swift but not as strong; and the cannoneers are formidable from a distance, but have limited close-range fighting ability." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 manual. pg35 (Eidos Interactive). (2001) Download. Know the Foe: Demon Hunters: "These warriors turned from vampire hunting to Demon hunting as Nosgoth fell into decline and Demons began entering the Material Plane. Demon hunters behave like their Vampire Hunter predecessors in combat, and they come in sword-, axe-, and cannon -wielding varieties. They can take and dish out more punishment than Vampire Hunters and are smart enough to block certain attacks" Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 50.ISBN 0-7615-3237-4 In the decades following the collapse of the pillars the army changed greatly to adapt to combat the demon threat. Presumably to defend against the ferocious attacks of the demons, the demon hunters wore heavy all-covering armor and were proficient at blocking attacks . Compared to their predecessors, the demon hunters shared similar attacking styles, with close-range swordsmen, Bestiary: Swordsmen Demon Hunters: "These Hunters excel at close-combat but can be easily out-maneuvered with sidesteps and lunges. Their blades pack a punch.//'Strengths''' They have potent swrod attacks and can absorb many hits.//'Weaknesses' They're vulnerable to both sidestep and lunge moves."'' Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 20.ISBN 0-7615-3237-4 long-range cannoneers Bestiary: Cannoneer Demon Hunters: "These cannoneers, like their forebears, often support hand-to-hand units. As usual, charge in and take them out.//'Strengths''' They have long-range attacks.//'Weaknesses' They can't take many hits and are poorly equipped for close combat."'' Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 20.ISBN 0-7615-3237-4 and mid-range axemen Bestiary: Axemen Demon Hunters: "These Hunters wield large, crude looking axes. They are slower than Vampire Hunter Pikemen, but can inflict and absorb more damage.//'Strengths''' They have powerful attacks and can absorb amny hits.//'Weaknesses' They're vulnerable to both sidestep and lunge moves."'' Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 20.ISBN 0-7615-3237-4 (compared with pikemen), albeit with more aggressive and 'developed' tactics, which emphasised powerful attacks over speed (including the use of a powerful two-handed axe weapon). Similarly, Demon hunters like their forebears used attack dogs, Attack Dogs: "Both the Vampire Hunters and their descendants, the Demon Hunters, use attack dogs which they've outfitted with cruel-looking weapons. Dogs are able tosense Raziel from longer range than most enemies." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 manual. pg34 (Eidos Interactive). (2001) Download. but these appeared to be a slower, more powerful breed . When Raziel arrived in the [[Era following Blood Omen|era following ''Blood Omen]]'' a century after the pillars collapse, he was able to witness the Demon hunters and their enemies. By this time the Demon threat had become a dangerous infestation and few areas seemed safe, with even the previous headquarters of the people's army at the Sarafan Stronghold overrun. In this "ghastly future", Raziel: "If I had any doubts about the era I now occupied, this grotesque tableau certainly eliminated them. For here was Moebius - long since murdered by Kain - lionized and beatified as the martyred leader of his bloodthirsty crusade. And if I required further evidence, I needed only to behold the gruesome trophy Moebius held aloft: the severed head of Vorador, the final triumphant kill of Moebius’s cutthroat mob. His execution marked the annihilation of the vampires. Far from channeling me into Nosgoth’s past, Moebius had propelled me over a century into its ghastly future." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (October 31, 2001) Transcript. several previously 'inhabited' areas were abandoned and ruined, former flags and banners had been torn to shreds and the hunters themselves wielded somewhat primitive-looking weapons and were often overwhelmed in combat by the Demons . The ultimate fate of the demon hunters is unclear and they appear in no further titles. Presumably they continue to fight the demon threat for as long as it remains, but how long this continues is unknown. Members Though Demon hunters were prevalent in the early [[Era following Blood Omen|Era following Blood Omen]], the leadership and structure of the order is entirely unknown. Basic Human troops all wore the same identical all-covering armor and variants were distinguishable only by the weaponry. Four variants were observed; the human swordsmen, cannoneers and axemen, along with their trained attack dogs. SR2-Enemy-DHAxeman-Close.PNG|Demon Hunter Axemen SR2-Enemy-DHCannoneer-Close.PNG|Demon Hunter Cannoneer SR2-Enemy-DHSwordman-Close.PNG|Demon Hunter Swordsmen SR2-Enemy-DHDog-Close.PNG|Demon Hunter Attack Dog SR2-DemonHunter-UmaskedCorpse.png|unmasked Demon Hunter corpse SR2-Model-Character-Advhba-Advhbb-Advhca.png|Demon hunters model SR2-Model-Character-Avhdog.png|attack dog model Development }} Notes * In contrast to their predecessors the human Demon hunters are noticeably all male and visually identical with the same armor and attire and even with the same beard, bald head and facepaint (which can be observed in textures). The variants are labelled in game files as "advhba", "advhbb" and "advhca" (with "avhdog" for the attack dogs) . *Despite supposedly being enemies, both the Demon Hunters and the Demons will prioritize Raziel in combat, temporarily abandoning their differences *The Demon hunters were notably connected with Vampire hunters; Demon Hunters at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn). with the Demon hunters suggested to be what became of the army after Moebius's death and Demons began to occupy Nosgoth's Material Realm. This relationship is also hinted in the symbol of the Demon hunters - a simplified, hand-drawn version of the symbol of the mercenary army (worn about the waist of the hunters - The symbol is noticeably less obviously displayed than those of the other hunter factions) . *Compared to the other 'hunter' factions in Soul Reaver 2, the Demon hunter faction seems perhaps less 'organised' - with no known information about the headquarters or leadership of the faction , though this may be indicative of the tumultuous time-period they inhabited and dangerous enemies they faced; the Demon hunters notably share some similarities with the similarly 'rough-edged' and desperate Vampire hunters of the [[Events of Soul Reaver|events of ''Soul Reaver]] . *The Demon Hunters are only explicitly seen in the ''[[Era following Blood Omen|Era following ''Blood Omen]]'' of the Third timeline and as the Demon Hunters were directly descended from Vampire hunters, which did not exist in the first timeline, it is unlikely they were extant - at least in their Soul Reaver 2 portrayal - until Kain altered history and the Second timeline began. Defiance: Background Story at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn) Events following the [[Events of Blood Omen|events of ''Blood Omen]]'' are unclear, but the weakening of dimensional boundaries caused by the Collapse of the Pillars may still have provided conditions for Demons to infiltrate the Material Realm (as in later timelines) and thus similar (unrelated) Demon hunting factions may still have arisen in this timeline. See also * Demon Hunters at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn). *Demon hunters (swordsmen) *Demon hunters (cannoneers) *Demon hunters (axemen) *Attack dogs (demon hunters) *Vampire hunters (history preceding Blood Omen) References Browse Category:Inhabitants Category:Inhabitants/Factions Category:Soul Reaver 2 it:Cacciatore di Demoni